Emma, an autistic student who went to Fruitville Elementary from 2007 to 2011, stared at the monarch butterflies in her front yard. Other times, she chased them.

Something about the insects — maybe their pretty colors or the fact they could fly — fascinated her.

"The joy of that," said her teacher Laura King, who taught her for three years. "You never know what will spark an interest in a child."

The last days

The little girl's health changed so quickly.

One moment, she sang the "ABCs" then the next, she lay down with a 104-degree fever.

But throughout her sickness, Emma was still Emma.

She skipped to class at Fruitville and sang in the hospital hallways. People knew when she was coming.

Other times, she pulled all the children's books off the shelves at Target, her favorite store, and then plopped down in the middle of the aisle. She flipped through every page, her mother couldn't pull her away from the books.

The last year of her life, Emma spent months in the hospital.

A virus wreaked havoc on her organs and she needed kidney dialysis. Later, doctors put her in a medical coma after she had a grand mal seizure on her bedroom floor.

"When she woke up, she would just moan and be in a fetal position," George said. "When she opened her eyes, they were blank."

Kingsley will hold an April 10 open house to unveil the 150-foot-long murals, which George and her family — including her children, Easton, 16, and Eli, 13, and her parents, Greg and Darlene Lester — plan to attend.

"That school was our family," George said. "I can't put it into words."

Dimples and zombies

Andrea Anderson stood out as a rebel among the sweet-faced children painting the mural this week.

A few birthdays ago, Andrea received a set of watercolors and then found her artistic inspiration on her brother's bedroom wall.

At least Wednesday, the 11-year-old had permission to get messy.

"Yay! I get to paint on the walls," Andrea said in a sing-songy voice, her fingers covered in yellow paint, as she worked on Emma's mural in the hallway.

As if to prove the point, Andrea painted two orange dots on her cheeks.

The fifth-grader grinned.

Voilŕ. Fake dimples.

Christian Wise looked serious, concentrating as he painted a blue and yellow critter — a mutant zombie butterfly from Michigan.

"It just popped out," the fifth-grader said about the weird backstory.

For Christian, 11, this was a chance to be creative and express himself.

Other students drew butterflies that looked slices of pizza or Pokémon. One child even painted a "butter-fly": A stick of butter for an abdomen and thorax and two pieces of toasts for wings.

Some took the more traditional route and painted pretty symmetrical butterflies.

Little Anadya Smirnova was impressed with the mural as she walked past en route to the computers.

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - Emma George seemingly had a gazillion Barney stuffed animals, but that didn't matter when her miniature schnauzer snatched one away.</p><p>She ripped the purple dinosaur out of Bailey's snout and then smacked the dog repeatedly with it.</p><p>Her loved ones often watched Emma with amusement, that little girl was so spunky. </p><p>"She had to have feistiness. She wasn't supposed to be born," said her mother, Heather George.</p><p>When Heather was in her third trimester, the family picked out a small white casket for Emma. The doctors had told them Emma would only live a few weeks because her heart was enlarged.</p><p>George held onto hope. She and her husband, Mark, picked the name Emma Grace — instead of Emma Madeline — breaking the tradition of EMG initials her two other children had.</p><p>On June 5, 2001, Emma was born by emergency C-section, screaming like bloody murder, George recalled.</p><p>The baby with the wide, piercing blue eyes underwent a heart transplant less than five months later.</p><p>Emma lived.</p><p>Growing up, the little girl was transfixed by certain things: Hello Kitty, pumpkins, Barney the dinosaur, colored pencils.</p><p>And butterflies.</p><p>Emma, an autistic student who went to Fruitville Elementary from 2007 to 2011, stared at the monarch butterflies in her front yard. Other times, she chased them.</p><p>Something about the insects — maybe their pretty colors or the fact they could fly — fascinated her.</p><p>"The joy of that," said her teacher Laura King, who taught her for three years. "You never know what will spark an interest in a child."</p><p><b>The last days</b></p><p>The little girl's health changed so quickly. </p><p>One moment, she sang the "ABCs" then the next, she lay down with a 104-degree fever.</p><p>But throughout her sickness, Emma was still Emma.</p><p>She skipped to class at Fruitville and sang in the hospital hallways. People knew when she was coming.</p><p>Other times, she pulled all the children's books off the shelves at Target, her favorite store, and then plopped down in the middle of the aisle. She flipped through every page, her mother couldn't pull her away from the books.</p><p>The last year of her life, Emma spent months in the hospital. </p><p>A virus wreaked havoc on her organs and she needed kidney dialysis. Later, doctors put her in a medical coma after she had a grand mal seizure on her bedroom floor. </p><p>"When she woke up, she would just moan and be in a fetal position," George said. "When she opened her eyes, they were blank."</p><p>On April, 22, 2011 — Good Friday — Emma died from congestive heart failure.</p><p>Her family asked for Gerber Daisys at the 9-year-old's funeral and for everyone to wear bright colors. No black.</p><p><b>Splash of color</b></p><p>Two years later, Fruitville principal Laura Kingsley, who spoke at the funeral, still tears up when she thinks about her former student.</p><p>"I could not remember Fruitville before Emma," Kingsley said. "I couldn't imagine Fruitville without Emma."</p><p>She didn't forget about how much the little girl liked butterflies, either.</p><p>This month, a group of 64 Fruitville students are painting a butterfly mural in a long hallway in Building 5.</p><p>"Before, it was white and boring," said Stefanie Hebert, 11, a fifth-grader. "When you add color, it looks a lot better."</p><p>It's part science project as they learn about the life cycle of a butterfly and a geography lesson where the different species live.</p><p>And it's also a way for the staff to quietly honor Emma.</p><p>A group Ringling College of Art and Design students lead the children, who are gifted students in fifth grade or part of the autistic prekindergarten and kindergarten class.</p><p>The older students helped younger ones gently hold their paintbrushes so they stay in the lines. </p><p>Youth Experiencing Art, a Sarasota nonprofit, funded the $3,000 project, which covered art supplies and tuition stipends for the Ringling students.</p><p>Kingsley will hold an April 10 open house to unveil the 150-foot-long murals, which George and her family — including her children, Easton, 16, and Eli, 13, and her parents, Greg and Darlene Lester — plan to attend.</p><p>"That school was our family," George said. "I can't put it into words."</p><p><b>Dimples and zombies</b></p><p>Andrea Anderson stood out as a rebel among the sweet-faced children painting the mural this week.</p><p>A few birthdays ago, Andrea received a set of watercolors and then found her artistic inspiration on her brother's bedroom wall.</p><p>At least Wednesday, the 11-year-old had permission to get messy.</p><p>"Yay! I get to paint on the walls," Andrea said in a sing-songy voice, her fingers covered in yellow paint, as she worked on Emma's mural in the hallway.</p><p>As if to prove the point, Andrea painted two orange dots on her cheeks. </p><p>The fifth-grader grinned. </p><p>Voilŕ. Fake dimples.</p><p>Christian Wise looked serious, concentrating as he painted a blue and yellow critter — a mutant zombie butterfly from Michigan.</p><p>"It just popped out," the fifth-grader said about the weird backstory.</p><p>For Christian, 11, this was a chance to be creative and express himself.</p><p>Other students drew butterflies that looked slices of pizza or Pokémon. One child even painted a "butter-fly": A stick of butter for an abdomen and thorax and two pieces of toasts for wings. </p><p>Some took the more traditional route and painted pretty symmetrical butterflies.</p><p>Little Anadya Smirnova was impressed with the mural as she walked past en route to the computers.</p><p>"That is beautiful," the first-grader gushed.</p><p><empty></p>